Something Golden
by ppeach
Summary: My Glee OTP is Puckleberry, but Samchel is the greatest crack!ship ever. I ship it. Hard. This is just something I'm trying out.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Glee nor am I affiliated with it in any way.  
**(If I did Rachel would be the bisexual school slut because I ship her with everyone. Except Finn.)

Rachel sat in the bathroom stall, sobbing to herself. "Of course…" She said out loud. What she had seen minutes before had shocked her and she had no idea why, but the vision of Finn and Quinn embraced in a passionate kiss made her upset. Everyone knew they had been fooling around for weeks after Quinn's breakup with Sam, but now it was official. Finn and Quinn were an item again.

There was absolutely no reason for her to be upset. Her and Finn had been over for a while now. She was moving on. Though to say she still didn't have feelings for him would be a lie. Her sobbing let up and she collected herself before exiting the stall and making her way to glee.

Walking down the hall, her thoughts completely consumed her. What about Sam? He was devastated when he found out about the cheating and then he had a little meaningless fling with Santana and now this. Rachel walked into the choir room, not knowing what to expect. Her eyes examined everyone and finally fell upon Sam. He sat in the very front, eyes locked on the ground, refusing to look at his surroundings. She knew that feeling all to well. While Rachel was never truly cheated on, she knew what it was like to be second choice all of the time.

She took her usual seat next to Santana and immediately began talking. Although her and Santana had their differences, they had been getting closer without even realizing it. "Well…" Santana started, crossing her arms across her chest. "I can't say I'm surprised. They sort of deserve each other."

Rachel shot her a confused look, but followed the girl's stare until it landed upon the new couple. "How do you mean?" She responded.

"They're two variations of sluts." The Latina answered without any hesitation. "They're meant to be." The two girls went on with their meaningless conversation as glee continued on. Mercedes and Tina sang solos and Mr. Schue went on about power ballads.

Soon enough glee was over and everyone scurried out of the room ready to head home. As always, Rachel was the last to leave, or so she thought. After gathering her things, she turned around only to realize that Sam was still sitting there in the same position. She felt her heart sink. Taking a few steps forward, she stood next him. "It'll get better, you know."

For the first time since glee started Sam looked up, giving the tiny girl an empty stare. "What?" He finally answered, looking a little confused.

"It hurts now, but things will eventually get better." Rachel sighed, knowing she

was not one to be giving advice on the matter. "I know it's obnoxious and silly

when people say they know how you feel, but trust me. I actually know how you

feel." With those words, Rachel walked out of the room, leaving Sam behind to

ponder her words.

**This is my first time writing something like this and posting it here. **

**Review if you'd like, I welcome all feedback! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the reviews! The first chapter was really short so I'm hoping this is longer. **

Rachel was at her locker, gathering the books she needed for English class when she felt the presence of someone else. "Samuel!" She jumped, surprised by the blonde hovering over her. "Y-you scared me."

Sam grinned. "Sorry Rachel, I didn't mean to." He stood awkwardly there as if he forgot what he was going to say. "Uhm, I just wanted to tell you thanks. You know, for the pep talk yesterday."

"Oh." The tiny brunette replied. "Well, it wasn't really a pep talk, Samuel." She paused, biting her lip. "It was just some friendly advice." She closed her locker and began walking down the hall, Sam following behind her.

"I know we haven't really talked much, but I was wondering if maybe you'd want to hang out this weekend?" He asked hopeful. "I'd like to talk." Sure before yesterday, he and Rachel never had any serious encounters, but there was something about her and wanted to get to know her. "Mike has some date with Tina and Puckerman isn't good with meaningful conversations." He added quickly.

Rachel turned to face him, an eyebrow raised in confusion. Yes, she had few friends, but she was still surprised when someone wanted to actually be with her. She studied his face a bit more, wondering if it was some cruel joke. The look on his face showed he was being genuine. "Okay. We can certainly do something this weekend." A slight smile appeared on her lips. "And that definitely sounds like Noah. His ability to hold a serious conversation is minimal." A light chuckle escaped between her lips. She knew deep down that Puck was a super sweet guy.

"Great!" Sam exclaimed happily. "What do you want to do?"

A moment of silence came across them as they thought about it. What would they do? For all Rachel knew, the only thing they had in common was the love of music. "I'm not entirely sure… What did you have in mind?"

Sam paused, thinking it over for a few seconds. "How about a movie marathon?" It seemed like a good idea. Plus, he'd always love an excuse to watch Avatar.

"That actually sounds pretty perfect." The diva laughed, wondering why she hadn't thought of that sooner. "I have the perfect collection of musicals and I'd be happy to watch them all!"

"Great." The boy laughed. "And I'll bring Avatar."

She laughed again. Of course he wanted to bring Avatar. He probably slept with the DVD every night. "Avatar sounds lovely."

Sam smiled as they continued to walk down the hall together. He stepped ahead of her, ready to leave when he turned.. "Oh and Rach." She looked up at him. "Call me Sam."

Rachel nodded and they went their separate directions.

* * *

She was sitting in the cafeteria, eating her lunch in peace when he sat down next to her. "You, me, Santittany and Artcedes. This weekend. Santana's place." Noah Puckerman was her best friend. Her only friend for awhile until Santana, Brittany and Mercedes came along. Rachel had always loved spending time with him. He had this way of making her feel special.

"I'm sorry, Noah. I'd love to, but I already have plans." She took a sip of her herbal tea and smiled at him weakly.

Puck looked confused. Really confused. "Do you have a hot date?" He questioned, taking his chip bag and opening it up.

"No, no. Not exactly." A light tint of red crept across her face.

"Then what?" Puck replied. What could be better than partying with him and a few others?

Rachel crinkled her nose, thinking of how she would describe this. Her and Sam weren't close. Everything was just out of the blue. "I'm having a movie marathon… With Sam."

"Evans?" The decibel level in which Puck yelled was enough to make multiple heads turn.

"Alert the media, why don't you." Rachel giggled, nudging him with her elbow. "It's not a date. It's a harmless movie marathon between two glee clubbers. Nothing more, nothing less."

Puck shook his head. "Rachel, he's a teenage boy."

The girl looked over at him, her smile gone. The only time her called her Rachel was when he was in serious Noah Puckerman mode. "If anything happens, I'll call you, okay?"

"I'm gonna be too plastered to come rescue you." He laughed.

"Alright then." A smile appeared on her face as she took a bite of food.

A loud groan escaped the boy next to her. "Fine, fine. I'll come to your rescue if you need me."

* * *

"Evans!" Puck made his way down the hall, strutting as if he owned it. When he finally reached Sam at his locker he began again. "I hear you have something planned with _my _Berry this weekend."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "_Your _Berry?" He replied.

"Whatever. My friend Berry. What is this, some kind of game? Is this all part of your plan?" The boy took a breath and continued. "Are you gonna use her for something because I swear to God man…"

Sam cut him off. "No! It's nothing like that." Despite what Puck thought, he had no plans in getting Quinn back, or using Rachel in some sick game to do so. "I promise, dude. I just want to be her friend."

"I'm gonna trust you because I like you. I think you're a cool guy." He turned to leave, removing his balled up fist from Sam's locker. "But I'm warning you. You hurt her, I hurt you." With that, he walked away, leaving Sam just standing there.

"Is midget… I mean, Berry, coming to the party?" Santana still had problems with actually being nice to people, but she was trying. As ridiculous as it sounded, she was mellowing out.

"Nope." Puck replied, still thinking about what Rachel and Sam would be doing. They both told him it was nothing serious, but that didn't matter. Anything could happen.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Fine, you know. I was just trying to be nice and all. She doesn't have to come if she doesn't want to. I just-"

"San…" Brittany caressed the Latina's arm, calming her down.

"She just has other plans. Chill out." Puck said to no one in particular.

"Oh, well then. Maybe next time. Or something. Whatever." The three of them turned the corner and made their way to the choir room. Hopefully something exciting would happen during glee.


	3. Chapter 3

For weeks, Rachel had been practicing the perfect song for her to perform during glee club. She was feeling more accepted than she ever had, but there were still bouts of loneliness. After days of thoughtful deliberation, she'd settled on a song that she always loved and parts of it had described her perfectly. Tomorrow would be the day; she'd waited long enough. With her bedazzled hairbrush in hand, her voice echoed through her bedroom. Even at home she was a stunning performer. The song finished, signaling it was time for bed. She turned out the lights and fell into a heavy sleep. Tomorrow would be a good day.

* * *

The hallway was busy with teenagers. Half of them spending their time socializing, the other half making their way to various classes. All seemed normal and then there was a tug on her shirt and she was pulled into the girl's bathroom.

"Santana!" Rachel gasped, placing a tiny hand over her heart. "You frightened me." She frowned, calming down a little. "You cannot just pull unsuspecting humans into the ladies room."

"I do what I want Berry." She brushed a hair from her shoulder and turned to face the smaller girl in front of her. "I hear you have a hot date with Sammy boy." Santana smirked and wiggled her eyebrow. "I'm here to help."

A loud sigh passed through Rachel's lips. Why did everyone assume this was a date? She knew the answer, but it certainly wasn't true. She had no intention on trying to make Finn jealous. "It's not a date. IT IS NOT A DATE."

Santana's eyes widened. "Jesus girl. Calm down." She folded her arms and walked towards Rachel. "Listen, I just want to help you." One of her arms wrapped around the diva's shoulder. "You're not unattractive, Berry. You just wear these ridiculous outfits even hobos are afraid of. I'm your savior."

"Savior?" Rachel gave one of her many facial expressions.

"Yes. I'll make you look hot, Rach. You and Sam will both tearing at those clothes, trying to get them off as fast as possible." She smirked again.

The tiny brunette's eyes grew wide. "W-what?" Was Santana honestly insinuating sex? "Listen, Santana. Despite the pornographic drawings of me in the restroom, I can assure you that I am still pure."

"Like hell you are." The Latina replied, giving Rachel a signature eye roll.

"I'm serious!" Rachel whined.

"Fine." She shrugged. "But if you change your mind, you know where to find me." Santana winked, grabbing Rachel's hand. "Now let's go or we'll be late for history."

* * *

By the time glee came around, Rachel was exhausted. Three tests in a row can really kill a person's energy. Not to mention her bathroom escapade with Santana and now the pressure of her performance. "Mr. Schuester?" Rachel stood up, her hand raised. "I have a performance prepared."

"Okay, Rachel. Let's hear it." Mr. Schue sat down on the piano bench, allowing Rachel to have the floor.

This was it. For some unknown reason, this song was more important than the others. Something about it just felt right. The tiny diva stood in front of the rest of the club. "This song is called Reflection, by Christina Aguilera. Although you might recognize it if you've ever seen the movie Mulan." The song started and Rachel began singing.

Look at me you may think you see,  
Who I really am but you'll never know me.  
Every day it's as if I play a part.  
Now I see if I wear a mask,  
I can fool the world but I cannot fool my heart.

Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me?  
When will my reflection show who I am inside?

Rachel continued on with song, some parts fitting her life perfectly. When she was finished a feeling of relief rushed over her. It's as if something had been let go. Puck got up to give the small brunette a hug and squeezed her in a warm embrace. "Beautiful, Berry." He whispered against her head. "Just beautiful."

* * *

The weekend finally arrived and Rachel was in a panic. She had different types of friends. With Mercedes and Kurt, it was always girls day and night. Puck always liked to chill and party, except when Rachel objected. Then they would just hang out at her place. Sam was new. They were just going to watch some movies, so why did this feel weird? Her mind began cluttering with thoughts that she didn't even realize someone knocking. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

**A/N: I'm not in love with this chapter. I think it's kind of boring, but I needed a filler before I get into the whole Samchel weekend. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, Rach." Sam stood there, a goofy grin plastered across his face. "Am I too early?" He questioned a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Rachel returned the smile, motioning for him to come inside. "No, you're right on time." She led him past the kitchen, towards the living room. "Do you want something to eat?" Snacks weren't really prepared, but she offered anyway. "We had vegan lasagna for dinner. I'm sure you don't want that." She joked and offered the boy a different variety of snacks, all of which he declined.

Sam lifted his arm, Avatar tucked gently between his fingers. "Look what I have!"

She giggled, and then nodded, taking the DVD from his hand and putting it in the DVD player.

"You know, Puck really cares about you." The boy stated, making his way to the black couch that sat in the very chic living room. "He pretty much threatened to murder me if I did anything to you."

Another laugh escaped between her lips. He was really starting to enjoy it. "Yes, that sounds like Noah. He's my best friend." She sat down. "The best friend a girl could ask for."

They sat on opposite ends of the couch. What was the proper distance? Neither one of them knew, so sitting apart seemed right. For now.

"I hope you like it." The blonde boy flashed her a smile and turned his attention back to the television. He was excited to watch this movie with Rachel. Actually, he was excited to just hang out with her. The stories he heard really got his thoughts going, but he never believed them. He didn't know her; therefore he had no room to judge.

During the movie, Rachel snuck glances at him. She smiled to herself; he was so into it, reciting lines every so often. This was nice.

* * *

When the movie finished, Sam clapped. "So, what did you think?"

"Honestly…" Rachel started. "I loved it! It was very entertaining."

His smile grew wide as she spoke. "After I first saw it, I kinda fell in love with it." He admitted, feeling himself blush. "I even mastered the Na'vi language… I'm sort of a big dork."

"Being a dork is a good thing." Rachel mentioned, placing a hand on his shoulder. Throughout the movie, they moved closer to each other. So much in fact that when it was over, their knees were touching.

* * *

As Rachel contemplated which musical they would begin with, Sam could feel himself frown. "What's wrong?" The girl asked when she turn around and saw his face.

"It's nothing, Rach…" He replied softly.

"You're a terrible liar." A small smile swept across her face as she sat back down next to him. "You can talk to me, Sam."

He sighed. This was supposed to be their day. Why was he acting like this? "It's just… I can't help but think that I did something wrong…you know?" His eyes were starting to water. "I mean, did I do something to make her want to cheat? Did I do something wrong?"

Rachel felt bad for him. Although they just started a friendship, every time she'd seen Sam, he'd been smiling and chipper. This was a different side of him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Sam." She tried to comfort him. "I've been in this position before. I am not proud of what I did, but I did it nonetheless."

Sam heard about the little stunt Rachel pulled with Puck. Personally, he thought Finn had overreacted. They were practically on a break. But then again, he was there, sitting on Rachel Berry's couch, feeling the urge to cry over Quinn.

"I'm not defending Quinn's actions. Or my own, for that matter." The brunette fixed her skirt, scooting back on the couch. "And I'm not trying to play the blame game, because that is certainly not in my character…" She bit her lip. "But if you look at this mess, I mean really look. You'll see that the common denominator in this is Finn."

He looked at her. What she just said was the truth.

"Last year Finn was such a good guy. He made everyone feel special…" This time Rachel was finding herself trying to hold back tears. "He made me feel important. Wanted." She closed her eyes, breathing in. "This year, he's different. He's bringing out the worst in everyone. I think he lost himself and he's stuck. He needs to find who he is."

He gave her a questioning look, ready to respond, but she shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about Finn anymore. This is supposed to be a fun day. Let's have fun!" Rachel clapped her hands energetically, turning her attention to the movie.

Sam looked at her instead. There was something different about this petite girl. He didn't know what it was, but he liked it. A lot.

* * *

For the rest of the night, they watched movies, talked and enjoyed each others company. It was rare, but Rachel had found a friend in this hot mess of a situation. And Sam was glad he could say the same.

**A/N: So this was shorter than I expected, but I have a ton of ideas that I just can't wait to get to.**


	5. Chapter 5

Rachel and Sam texted each other day Sunday. It was nice for them to finally have someone to talk to. Of course, Rachel had Puck, but sometimes she hated bothering him with all of her personal problems, which she seemed to be having a lot of lately. It was good for Sam as well. He didn't really have anyone anymore. At one point he considered Finn to be his best friend, but that bromance was clearly over.

* * *

"Hey, Sam!" The blonde turned to face the direction of the noise just to see an angry quarterback walking towards him.

"What do you want, Hudson?" His attitude was cold.

"What the hell is up with you getting my sloppy seconds?" He was mad all right. "First Quinn, now Rachel?"

Sam looked offended, mostly because he referred to them as 'sloppy seconds'. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know you're with her!" The tall boy yelled.

"Since when is Rachel any of your business?" Sam began walking away knowing Finn would follow him.

"It's Rachel we're talking about. She's still my Rachel." He was fuming and Sam enjoyed it.

A chuckle escaped him. What was with these boys referring to Rachel as theirs? Puck and now Finn. She really was someone special. "She's not yours anymore." He turned the corner, leaving Finn standing there. He never told the other boy that he and Rachel were only friends. Sam just loved to see him squirm.

* * *

"Hello, ladies." Sam slid in the booth next to Rachel, casually placing his arm around her shoulder. Ever since their movie day, they'd become almost inseparable. They were at Breadstix. Santana and Brittany on one side, Rachel and Sam on the other. "What are we talking about?"

Santana smirked, raising her right eyebrow a bit. "Sex. And boys." Brittany made a face. Though they weren't official to everyone, her and Santana were more than friends.

The boy shifted in his seat, now feeling awkward and out of place. "Oh."

Rachel laughed, placing her hand on Sam's leg. He immediately looked down, watching as her hand sat there. She had never done anything like that before, but he wasn't complaining. "We're just discussing some personal matters."

The Latina across the way smirked again. By personal matters she meant Rachel's developing feelings for Sam. And herself and Brittany. "Well, I can go…" He started before feeling a force grab him.

"NO!" Santana shouted, reaching across the table to pull him back making him land on Rachel. "Sorry." She muttered, pushing the blonde next to her. "We're going. You stay." She smiled again, following Brittany out of the restaurant.

"Awkward." The boy laughed, pushing himself off of the poor girl next to him. "Sorry for landing on you." He looked up at her, hair down in his face. Something about that moment made her heart flutter. He was beautiful.

"It's not a problem." Once he sat up straight, he moved to other side so he could see her. Her soft, brown curls fit perfectly around her face. How had he never noticed her before?

As time went by, they made small conversation. It was amazing how they felt so comfortable around one another. Sometimes words weren't even needed.

* * *

During glee everything changed. Finn and Quinn performed their duet of 'Hello' by Lionel Richie. It was nothing compared to Jesse and Rachel's version, but it was a solid performance.

Rachel felt sick. They were really in love and that just proved it. It happened so quickly. Was her relationship with Finn just one huge lie? It was starting to feel that way and it made her uneasy.

If he would've had the guts to come out and be honest it wouldn't have hurt as much.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Also, sorry it's been slow moving. I have this habit where I make the first couple chapters build up to something. Review if you'd like.**


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